Residents Upset Over Excessive Tree Pruning

The residents of Kooyong Road in Toorak are upset by the trees on public and private land by Stonnington council and CitiPower contractor Vemco. The residents were shocked to find that strangers were cutting their private trees, and that similar pruning had left council trees looking in bad shape.

Resident Lynette Stewart said: “We understand the safety precautions. However, some of them have been cut back as far as five metres.” Simon Thomas, Stonnington acting Chief Executive, said that it was done to keep the trees healthy and out of danger. “Pruning is required to maintain the health and structure of street trees; to clear them from electricity lines, private buildings and dwellings; to remove deadwood and uplift the trees over the roadway and footpath,” he said. Proper tree care and pruning was especially necessary after the high amount of rain the community had in the past year, and the pruning helps to reduce the risk of fire and power outages.